Olive Cracker with Spicy Pimento Cheese

Michael and I have been plugging away at working in the kitchen, painting, entertaining, all the fun stuff that happens around the holiday time. We have made for you a delicious cracker that stays good up to a week, so when you have some last minute company popping by you can put these on a plate and not worry!

We have made for you an olive cracker with a spicy pimento cheese in the middle. To create the shape in the middle, I found a cookie cutter that had a little owl cutout. You can cut a circle for the bottom, and then for the top use the same circle and then cut your shape out. You can find mini cookie cutters at any baking shop, and if you can’t find a cutout, who cares! You don’t need it; it is the taste that matters anyway!

*There will be some pimento cheese leftover, but don’t worry! You can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks!

Ingredients: Makes 2 dozen

Crackers:
2 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
1 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. parmigiano reggiano cheese, finely grated
2 tbsp. black olives, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 ½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cream, more if needed

Pimento Cheese:
1/2 pound grated Cheddar
1/2 pound grated Pepper Jack (habanero if you can find it)
1 (4-ounce) can diced pimentos
1/3 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/3 teaspoons granulated onion
2 Pinches cayenne
1/2 cup light mayonnaise

 

Start by making the cheese by mixing together all the ingredients and blending in a food processor. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

Put flour, salt, cheese, olives, garlic and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until flour and olive oil create little crumbs that look like sand.

Add about 1/4 cup cream and let machine run for a bit. If it is too dry, and a tablespoon of cream, if it seems really wet, don’t worry.

Roll out dough on a flat surface covered in flour (this will help if the mix is oily) until 1/4-inch thick or even thinner, adding flour as needed.

Cut out 24 circle for the bottom, and 24 with the shape cutout for the top.

Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. If you bubbles form in your crackers, right when you take them out of the oven, press down with a towel for a few seconds. They are more likely to dry flat.

Let cool completely.

Assemble!

Happy Father's Day Manchego Baked Clams!!!

Happy Father’s Day!!! Father’s Day should be every day not just one day, but since we want to give everyone a great simple thing to make this father’s day we made simple baked clams.

Along with great BBQ, seafood seems pretty manly, so these bad boys can be made and ready to eat in 10 minutes, that is if your manly father is there to open the clams other, otherwise it may take about 30 minutes.  So enjoy these simple manchego whole baked clams for father’s day!

*If you don’t have granulated garlic you can use 1 teaspoon garlic salt with a Tablespoon of minced garlic.

Ingredients: serves about 6 about 5 clams per person

30 clams
1 cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup manchego cheese
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup chicken stock
1 small jar diced tomatoes

To get everything going  preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place your clams in a large bowl of cold water and ¼ cup salt and let sit for about 10 minutes to clean some of the grit out, and then rinse under running water.

Next place the clams on a baking tray and place in oven for 3 minutes, just enough time to allow the clams to open.

Open and clean the clams by breaking the two shells apart and removing the clam completely with a butter knife, get all the grit out, and then place the clam back on one shell.

In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs, grated manchego cheese, salt and granulated garlic. Slowly add the chicken stock, until the mix is almost wet. Pack the clams with the mix and lay back on baking tray. Fill the bottom of the tray with about a ¼ cup of water, this way the clams will stay moist.

Place back in the oven, but now on broil, for 6 minutes.

Remove, top with diced pimento and enjoy!

Happy Father’s Day!!